Bonita Granville

Daughter of Bernard 'Bunny' Granville and Rosina Timponi, Bonita Granville was born into an acting family on 2 Febuary 1923, in New York, New York. It's not surprising that she herself became a child actor, first on the stage and, at the age of 9, debuting in movies in Westward Passage (1932). She was regularly cast as a naughty little girl, as in These Three (1936) where she played Mary, an obnoxious girl spreading lies about her teachers. Her performance left an impression on the audience, and she was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress award. In 1938-39 came the movies she is now best remembered for -- playing the bright and feisty detective/reporter Nancy Drew in the Nancy Drew series. She also appeared with Mickey Rooney in a few Andy Hardy movies. She never really had a movie breakthrough, and after marrying oil millionaire and later producer Jack Wrather, she retired from acting in the middle of the 1950s, although she went on to produce the Lassie (1954) TV series. After her marriage to oil millionaire Jack Wrather in 1947, she appeared in only three more movies. She became an executive in the Wrather Corp., and first associate producer, then executive producer of the Lassie (1954) TV series. After Wrather's death in 1984, she took over as chairman of the board. She was also involved in many civic and cultural groups, and she was chair of American Film Institute, trustee of John F. Kennedy Center, as well as other well known organizations and charities. Walt Disney personally convinced the Wrathers to build the Disneyland Hotel when Disney could not raise the money to do so -- his credit was all tied up in building the theme park itself. After the phenomenal success of Disneyland, Disney attempted to buy the hotel; but the Wrathers steadfastly refused to sell. Long after Jack and Bonita Wrather's and Walt Disney's deaths, the Disney Company bought the Wrather Corporation. The Disney Company thus acquired the Disneyland Hotel, the Queen Mary and Spruce Goose attractions in Long Beach, California, the rights to The Lone Ranger (1949) TV series, as well as other properties. Bonita Granville Rather died of cancer on 11 October 1988, in Santa Monica, California. She and Wrather had four children (two from Wrather's first marriage).

Known For	Acting
Most Rating	10.72
Birthday	1923-02-02
Place of Birth	New York City, New York, USA
Also Known As	Bonita Granville Wrather, Bonita Gloria Granville Wrather,

The Mortal Storm

Nancy Drew... Reporter

Suspense

Now, Voyager

The Guilty

Love Laughs at Andy Hardy

The Glass Key

Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase

Nancy Drew… Detective

Nancy Drew... Trouble Shooter

Little Women

Third Finger, Left Hand

These Three

Cavalcade

Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble

Youth Runs Wild

H.M. Pulham, Esq.

Syncopation

Hitler's Children

It's Love I'm After

Forty Little Mothers

The Lone Ranger

White Banners

Angels Wash Their Faces

Escape

Seven Miles from Alcatraz

Merrily We Live

The People Vs. Dr. Kildare

Breakfast in Hollywood

Call It a Day

Song of the Saddle

The Wild Man of Borneo

Screen Snapshots Series 21 No. 1

Those Were the Days!

The Beloved Brat

Gallant Sons

Song of the Open Road

The Truth About Murder

Hard to Get

Westward Passage

My Bill

Guilty of Treason

The Life of Vergie Winters

Maid of Salem

The Beautiful Cheat

Soaring Stars

The Plough and the Stars

Strike It Rich

Ah, Wilderness!

Quality Street

Silver Dollar

Cradle Song

The Garden of Allah

Down in San Diego

Senorita from the West

The Legend of the Lone Ranger

The Velvet Alley

Breakdowns of 1938

Hollywood’s Children